Runcorn railway station

Runcorn National Rail
Location
Place Runcorn
Local authority Borough of Halton
Grid reference SJ508826
Operations
Station code RUN
Managed by Virgin Trains
Number of platforms 2
DfT category C1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2012/13 Increase 0.679 million
2013/14 Increase 0.706 million
2014/15 Increase 0.750 million
2015/16 Increase 0.758 million
2016/17 Increase 0.777 million
History
Key dates Opened 1 April 1869 (1 April 1869)
Original company London and North Western Railway
Pre-grouping London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway
1 April 1869 Station opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Runcorn from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Runcorn railway station is in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, north-west England. The station lies on the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line between Weaver Junction and Liverpool South Parkway and is managed by Virgin Trains.

History

The station is located a short distance south of the Runcorn Railway Bridge over the River Mersey on a section of line opened by the London and North Western Railway to create a more direct route between Liverpool and Crewe. The station opened on 1 April 1869.[1]

Facilities

The station has a shop and snack bar in the ticket hall. Lifts are available (integrated into the footbridge) to allow passengers to cross between the platforms. A car park (charges apply) and taxi rank are also available, and bus stops for services to other parts of Runcorn and also to Widnes.[2]

For customers travelling with first class tickets and passes, a designated first class lounge is provided, along with standard waiting shelters.[3] There are customer help points, digital information screens and automated train announcements available to give train running information.

The station normally has a staffed ticket office (open daily from start of service until 19:30). In addition, self-service ticket vending machines are available, allowing passengers to purchase tickets or collect pre-booked tickets (e.g. through a train operator's website or telesales centre).

Services

Regular

There is an hourly service between Liverpool Lime Street and London Euston operated by Virgin Trains, and two services per hour between Liverpool, Crewe and Birmingham New Street operated by West Midlands Trains under the London Northwestern brand. Services are less frequent in the evenings and on Sundays.

Irregular

Runcorn is the northern terminus for the so-called parliamentary train service non-stop from Chester. This train, operated by Northern, runs once a week on summer Saturdays only to satisfy the minimum requirement to operate a passenger service over the Halton Curve. There is no return journey to Chester because of the removal of the southbound line and associated pointwork at each end that allowed trains to proceed toward Frodsham, so this train runs as empty-stock to Liverpool Lime Street ready for normal service. On several occasions since 2010, this service has been extended, as a passenger service, to Liverpool South Parkway, calling additionally at Helsby, Frodsham and Runcorn, or calling at Runcorn only.[4][5]

Once the Halton Curve is refurbished & upgraded (due for completion by May 2018), regular timetabled services over the line towards Chester will be introduced.[6] These will give easy access to destinations on the North Wales Coast Line and towards Wrexham General and beyond without needing to travel via (and change at) Crewe.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 201. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. ↑ "Runcorn > Station information". London Midland. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "Runcorn (RUN)". National Rail. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Parliamentary train service extended to Liverpool South Parkway". Merseytravel. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "Frodsham & Helsby residents flock to see 'ghost train'". The Chester Chronicle. Trinity Mirror Merseyside. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Halton curve gets the green light"Rail magazine article 27 April 2016; Retrieved 28 September 2016
Preceding station National Rail Following station
Liverpool South Parkway   London Northwestern Railway
Liverpool-Birmingham		   Acton Bridge
    Hartford
    Crewe
Liverpool Lime Street   Virgin Trains
WCML Liverpool Branch		   Crewe
    Stafford
    London Euston
Chester   Northern
Halton Curve
(Northbound only)(summer Saturdays only) 		  Terminus

Coordinates: 53°20′20″N 2°44′20″W / 53.339°N 2.739°W / 53.339; -2.739

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